French President Jacques Chirac gave a short address to the nation on Thursday to urge French voters tosay "yes" to the European Union (EU) constitution at the May 29 referendum.

"On Sunday each one of you will have in his hands part of the destiny of France," he said in a ten-minute address carried on main French television and radio channels.

"A rejection of the treaty would be seen by Europeans as a 'no'to Europe. It would open up a period of division, doubt and uncertainty," he said.

"It is an illusion to think that Europe will start out again happily with another plan. There is no other plan. Europe would be broken down -- searching for an impossible consensus. Meanwhile the world would move on, faster and faster," he continued.

"France would be in a less strong position to defend its interests," he said.

Shortly before his address, a new survey made for the French daily Le Figaro showed that some 55 percent of the voters would say "no" to the constitution that must be approved by all the 25 EU member states and aims at simplifying decision-making in the European Union following last year's expansion of the bloc to eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

All of the 12 latest French polls showed a potential victory for the "no" camp.

A French "no" vote to the EU constitution would undermine Chirac's political authority, while government insiders said a prompt government reshuffle is inevitable whatever the result of the referendum.

Source: Xinhua